Chapter 20

Amber

I used a room key Tyler left for me down at the lobby check-in to get into the room. There he was, sitting at a table by the window, just staring down at the city. His brow was furrowed as if he was deep in thought while his legs were sprawled out underneath the table, but all I could see was the hurt misting in his eyes. What Luke had done to him, what he had done to both of us, was wrong, and I could tell it was wearing Tyler down. He had bags underneath his eyes, no doubt from the hangover we were both still nursing, and I dug around in my purse for some migraine medicine before I walked toward him.

“Here,” I said, handing it to him. “I’ll get you some water.”

“Thanks.” I watched as he opened the container of medication and swallowed two pills like it was nothing before he went back to staring out the window. I grabbed a water from the stocked mini-fridge in the room before I looked around at how grand it was. The massive bed was covered with what looked to be luxurious Egyptian cotton sheets, and the bathroom held a spacious walk-in shower and a jet bathtub.

Even my mother would be impressed, and that was saying something.

“Here,” I said as I set the water down in front of him. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m fucking pissed,” he said as I sat down at the table.

“Don’t blame you,” I said.

“He told me he’d cut me out of the damn company. Give me nothing. After everything I’ve done to make it successful. Just because we are fucking. Said he’d tell your family and get them to cut you off or some bullshit like they aren’t already doing that anyway,” he said.

“I know,” I said.

“You know?”

“Yeah. I know because Luke called me this morning. It’s why I kicked you out,” I said.

“He told you all that over the phone this morning?”

“He did. And it petrified me. Hell, I don’t care about my family kicking me out. All that would do was give me my freedom. But you? You’ve worked too hard alongside my brother to lose everything, and you deserve better than that. I can’t let that happen to you,” I said.

“Amber, look at me.”

I raised my gaze to meet his, and somehow it seemed a bit softer. His eyes didn’t look as hurt, and his frown didn’t seem so set in stone any longer. He leaned over and held out his palm, beckoning for my hand as a tear flooded down my cheek.

And I placed my hand in his as I relished in how warm his touch was.

“I’d hire a fucking lawyer and take half his shit before he kicked me out,” he said, grinning.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t know what to do this morning. I still don’t know what to do,” I said.

“I understand. I’m a bit lost myself right now. I’m glad they don’t know where I am. The last thing Luke needs to do for his health is come find me. You know he grabbed me by my shirt and pulled me in like he was going to hit me or something?”

“Wait, my brother did what?” I asked.

“Yeah. Had I not been so pissed I would’ve actually been kind of proud,” he said, chuckling. “But, you don’t have to worry about this situation. Monetarily, I’ll be okay.”

“It’s not about the money, though,” I said. “You and Luke have developed a strong friendship. I mean, this is some bullshit, yes. But, he trusts you. And you trust him, right?”

“I did. Until now,” he said.

“I’ve seen the two of you together. You push each other to work harder, and you make each other better. I didn’t kick you out because I thought he was going to pull your hard-earned money from you. I kicked you out because it was going to ruin your friendship.”

“You do understand he’s the one ruining it, right?” he asked.

“I get that. But, I can’t be the reason you guys tank. I wouldn’t be able to live with that,” I said.

“And you won’t have to,” he said as he traced circles on my skin. “I promise.”

“How are we going to fix this?” I asked.

“We aren’t. Luke and I are done,” he said.

“Tyler. Come on. I mean, the business, you can’t just split something like that can you?” I asked.

“Actually, you can. I’m the type of person that thinks through all the contingencies, and I’ve thought long and hard over the years about what would happen if Luke and I were to go our separate ways.”

“Are you really done with him, Tyler?” I asked.

“He threatened to take away everything. He threatened me, his business partner. He put your relationship with your family on the line, and he’s a fucking hypocrite. You know as well as I do that he’s fucking around with your best friend, and yet he’s pissed that we’re doing the same. I can’t work with someone like that. One of the reasons we worked was because he had better morals than me. He made me a better person, not just a better businessman. But now, he no longer has his morals. He’s on a rampage for control. And he won’t be able to control our relationship. He’s fucked his way out of his own control, and I’m not giving it back to him to smooth things over,” he said.

As I sat there and listened to him, I had to support him. While I felt wholly and completely responsible for the downfall of their friendship, I knew where he was coming from. If my business partner grabbed me by the shirt and threatened me, I’d be pulling out, too.

“So, what are you going to do?” I asked.

“I’m going to break off the LA section we’re currently establishing and keep it for myself. I’m the one who’s signed all the paperwork and his name currently isn’t on any of it because he’s still fucking around with whether or not to keep the space I chose. Right now, he has no power over it, and I won’t give it to him. I’ll franchise it out or something, but there’s no way Luke can treat me this way and still be my friend. we’re done.”

“I get it. I understand,” I said.

“Do you remember anything about last night?” he asked.

Do I tell him what Luke said to me? Did Luke already tell him this morning? Was he talking about the incident in the bar with the microphone or was he talking about waking up with these marks on our bodies?

“Not much,” I said, giggling.

“I honestly can’t remember if we fucked or not last night,” he said.

“I think these marks on our bodies say otherwise,” I said.

“I don’t know, that could just be from a ferocious necking session,” he said.

“You? Just necking? Seriously?” I asked.

He got up from his seat and pulled me into him. His body felt so warm and strong against mine, but I was very much aware of where this was going.

“Tyler, this is what’s gotten us into this situation,” I said as I pressed my hands on his chest.

“Amber, I don’t fucking care,” he said.

“You should,” I said, looking up at him. “You’re about to lose everything because of it.”

“Only half,” he said, grinning. “And I think what I’ve gained is much better than the half I’m losing.”

“And what are you gaining?” I asked.

I held his gaze for what seemed like an eternity. His hand dipped lower on my back, pressing me into him while his other hand cupped my cheek. I could feel myself already spilling into my panties as my knees grew weak, and my legs collapsed from underneath me as he caught me. His thumb traced the apple of my cheek, flushed with embarrassment, fear, and lust.

I wanted him more than I could stand, but what I’d already cost him was too much for me.

“Tyler, we can’t.”

His lips silenced me, and I threw my arms around his neck. Our teeth clattered together as we moved toward the bed, and his lips were all over my neck before I could protest any further. We didn’t need to be doing this. We couldn’t be doing this. We’d lose everything if my family found out we were still doing this.

But holy fuck, he felt so good.

We ripped each other’s clothes off before I jumped and wrapped my legs around him. He barreled me into the wall, sucking on my hard nipple as I moaned and writhed against him. His throbbing cock found its home in my wet pussy as it slid in effortlessly, and he fucked me until my tits were bouncing in his face.

He threw me onto the bed and turned me over, my ass staring at him as he knelt behind me. He slid into my swollen pussy, my walls clamping down around him as he snapped his hips against mine. His cock was throbbing against my body as his thrusts pushed me farther and farther onto the bed. I let out a gasp when his hand reached down, and his fingers started flicking over my clit. The sweet sensation made me shiver and cry out for more.

He continued stroking me with his finger as his cock slammed into my tightening pussy. I was on fire, gripping the bedding and moaning as the intensity spiraled me higher. When the orgasm rocked through me, I cried out as my pussy clenched around his cock and my toes curled. My body was shaking as it plummeted to the bed, begging for rest but craving more.

I needed more of him.

I needed all of him.

“Come here, beautiful.” He turned me around onto my back before he sank between my legs, and his fingertips danced along my forehead as they brushed the hair from my face. His fingers danced along my nose, my cheeks, my lips, and they puckered to kiss their tips as his eyes danced along my features. It was like he was memorizing me, enjoying me like this was the last time he would be able to.

And there was something inside that sunk when I thought about this being the last time I’d ever get to feel him.

“Tyler,” I said.

“Yes?”

“Take me.”

He slid into me slowly, torturously. Watching my every reaction as his dick parted my pussy lips. My eyes fluttered closed, and my hands slowly ran down his back, and the second I dug my fingertips into the meat of his rippling back, I knew I would never want to let go. His hips began to roll into mine, slowly and delicately, and my lips reached up for his as our worlds collided once more.

My juices dripped down his cock and balls as he picked up his pace, and I wrapped my legs around him to draw him closer. The heat in my pelvis was building again as our skin slapping together was getting louder and faster. His head dipped into the crook of my neck as my nails raked down his skin, and his groans were muffled by my body as his dick slammed deeper into my pussy.

“Cum for me, Tyler,” I said.

“We’ll do this together,” he said.

His hands found mine as he interlocked our fingers and pinned them above my head. Our eyes connected as his balls slapped my ass, and I felt ready to pop. My jaw unhinged and my breathless pants became mindless groans, and my back arched off the bed as he dipped his face into my breasts.

“Yes, Tyler. Fuck. Yes! Oh, shit. Yes. Yes. Yes. I’m almost there. Almost there. Almost.”

My body let go, falling over the mountain top as Tyler’s dick twitched deep within me. His hips stuttered before they stilled, snapping hard against mine one last time while my pussy clamped down around his cock. I could feel his pumps filling me, coating my pussy walls with his hot streams of cum, and his lips peppered my neck with kisses before my back fell toward the bed.

And as the two of us laid there, shivering with the aftershocks of our orgasms, that was when I realized a very dark, startling truth.

There was no way in hell I was letting this man go, even if it cost me my family.